At St Mary’s, the children are at the centre of everything we do. To signify this, we are pursuing the UNICEF Rights Respecting School Bronze Award. This accreditation means that we are a school that champions the United Nations’ Convention of the Rights of the Child and have embedded the principles of the Convention into school through our ethos, policies and curriculum. What does it mean to be a rights respecting school?
The Rights Respecting Schools Award puts children’s rights at the heart of schools in the UK. Unicef works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Unicef’s Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the
best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.
There are three stages to the Rights Respecting Schools Award. Its transformative and rigorous approach means the journey to the highest stage can take up to four years.
Together young people and the school community learn about children’s rights, putting them into practice every day. The Award is not just about what children do but also, importantly, what adults do. In Rights Respecting Schools, children’s rights are promoted and realised, adults and children work towards this goal together. The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school community and beyond.
What are the children’s rights?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC, is the basis of all of Unicef’s work. It is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.
The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights. Every child has rights, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status.
Please see the rights overview for a summary of Articles 1-42.
A summary of the UN CONVENTION on the rights of the child – Please click on link
The Convention is made up of 54 articles which explain what children’s rights are.
Articles 1-42 relate specifically to what children and adults can do to ensure all children’s rights are met. These rights will be learned, taught, practiced, respected and promoted by the whole school community.
Articles 43-54 relate to how the Government will ensure these rights are met.
UNICEF has shown that when children are taught about their rights they have:
- Improved self-esteem and feelings of being valued and listened to.
- Increased levels of respect for each other, leading to improved relationships with other pupils and with staff.
- A sense of security as rights-respecting language and behaviour is used consistently throughout the school.
- Improved attainment and attendance, and a reduction in exclusions.
- An understanding and respect of religions, cultures, beliefs and abilities different to their own.
- A wider and deeper understanding of the world in which they live.
Why become a Rights Respecting School?
- It develops a common language to build the schools vision and values.
- They are an inalienable set of rights which the children have a right to know (Article 42)
- Children and young people become actively involved in the learning process
- Children and young people take responsibility for respecting their right to an education, and the rights of others
- It is an efficient and effective framework for School Improvement
- To build good global citizens
Link for more information
https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/
If you would like to learn more about the Rights Respecting School Award or the Convention, the RRS leader is Miss N. Rowling
